Phrasal verb
hunt out
Definition
phrasal verb. to search for something until you find it, especially when it is hidden or difficult to locate.
phrasal verb. to search for and locate something through diligent effort or by looking in less obvious places; transitive and often implies the object was obscured or forgotten.
Examples
“I need to hunt out my old passport before the trip.”
“She managed to hunt out a rare first edition of the book in a dusty corner of the shop.”
“The researchers had to hunt out original manuscripts from several private archives to verify the historical timeline of the event.”
Examples
simple
“I need to hunt out my old passport before the trip.”
contextual
“She managed to hunt out a rare first edition of the book in a dusty corner of the shop.”
complex
“The researchers had to hunt out original manuscripts from several private archives to verify the historical timeline of the event.”
Usage
the object can be placed between 'hunt' and 'out' or after the particle.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'look for' (general search) and 'find' (the result); 'hunt out' emphasizes the difficulty or the hidden nature of the object.
Pitfall
I hunted out for my keys.
I hunted out my keys.
the verb is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'for'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
hunt (+ object) + out (+ object)
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hunt-out